


Once Died, Twice Reborn

by GoddessofDawn



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofDawn/pseuds/GoddessofDawn
Summary: Life and Death were only experienced once in a person’s lifetime. That’s how it should be. That’s how it was.But my existence alone attested to that, because I stood there, living and breathing, having been given a second chance at Life.It sounded too good to be true.It was.The catch was that I had been reborn into a fictional universe.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Original Male Character(s), Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jasper Hale/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 50
Collections: A Collection of Beloved Inserts





	1. Chapter 1

I had died. That I was certain of.

While I struggled to recall how exactly that happened, I could remember the emptiness and nothingness of the dark abyss.

But I had also come back to life. That I was also certain of.

Again, I wasn't sure how that had happened, or why for that matter, but there was no denying the soft beating of my heart and the gentle whooshing of air in and out of my lungs. The world around me was loud and busy, full of life and hope.

Then, I was suddenly snapped out of my reverie by the crushing force of reality hitting me in the face.

I was in an airport, a busy one and I had to get out.

My legs carried me forward, taking confident strides in a direction I didn't know, while my eyes began wandering over the waiting people, looking for someone I didn't know.

My eyes landed on a couple.

That was them.

I didn't know how I knew, but those were the people that had come to pick me up.

A man and woman both stood besides each other, giving me shy and hesitant smiles as I walked towards them.

"Anat, glad you got here safe," the woman reached over and gave me a hug, one that surprised me enough that I didn't reciprocate.

I hadn't found my voice yet so I opted to give a polite smile instead.

"Safe flight then?" The man asked, taking my luggage from me.

"Yeah," I nodded.

Thankfully, I had been spared anymore awkward small talk and pleasantries and we had made our way to a black SUV and began the drive.

To where, I didn't know.

But I thought it would be too odd to ask. I had realised we were in Seattle, where I had gotten off a flight from London, the ticket I found in my pocket attesting to that. I guessed I would find out when we arrived.

So I settled in the backseat, letting my thoughts consume me for the entirety of the journey while the couple at the front exchanged light conversation. They gave me ample opportunities to join the conversation, but I was too busy trying to figure out who they were and my business with them in Seattle of all places.

The woman seemed not much older than myself, somewhere in her mid to late twenties. She had light golden skin, similar to my own toning, though I was a bit tanner than she was. She also had the same brown hair that I did, with the same wavy texture.

I couldn't quite see her features from the back, but I could guess that I was somehow related to her. I highly doubted I was related to the white man that was currently driving. He had quite pale skin with dark blonde hair and light eyes that I accidentally kept meeting in the rear view mirror.

I looked away, deciding to rest for the ride and figure out the rest when we got to our destination. I watched the grey landscape as we left Seattle and headed to god knows where.

The scenery slowly started to turn green as we exited the motorway. I could see a mountain far into the distance and I was awed. I had never actually seen one in person. I had been a city girl my whole life and never really been around a lot of nature.

I sat up in my seat, staring out of the window more eagerly. While it was drizzling slightly and the sky was grey, the towering evergreens on either side of the road had the faintest dusting of snow and it really looked magical.

I saw we were approaching a sign and I squinted at it, reading it as we passed by.

'Welcome To Forks!'

My stomach dropped.

It can't be.

Was this a coincidence?

I assured myself that it didn't mean anything. Forks was just a small town that had the misfortune of being the same place a fictional novel was set in.

There was no way I was in The Forks.

I reassured myself that there was no need to panic. I had yet to confirm anything and right now, there were more information things to figure out, like who the people drivingme were.

I looked back out the window to see the trees flashing but in a blur of green. As I stared, I caught a flash of white and my stomach churned, knowing that my reassurances were just wishful thinking.


	2. Chapter 2

The woman that bared a striking resemblance to me, was apparently my estranged cousin, the last living relative I had. My family had died in a freak car accident and I was under their guardianship.

Her name was Rania Ali, (we shared a surname) and she worked in admin at the local hospital. She had previously lived in Seattle herself, but enjoyed nature and wanted to live away from the city. That's where her fiancé came into play.

Liam Newton.

"She came in one sunny day, eager to go hiking and had grabbed everything she could reach and dumped it on my counter, smiling brightly," Liam had recalled fondly, smiling down at my cousin who was wrapped in his arms.

We had been sitting in their cosy living room, eating some pizza we ordered in after I had unpacked my stuff in my new room. I was eager to learn more about my new guardians.

"He was so nice that day. I instantly had a crush on him and I came by whenever I could to see him," Rania giggled, blushing as Liam chuckled.

"And then one day, I finally found the courage and asked him to join me hiking," She continued.

"And it just grew from there. Before I knew it, two years had passed and I just knew I had to marry this girl soon," he grabbed her left hand, pressing a kiss to it.

It was an intimate moment and I felt weird watching them.

I had then excused myself to my room after we were done. My bedroom was a lot nicer then I had expected. I had been given the bedroom on the ground floor, which had been a new addition to the house. It came with a small en-suite bathroom and a walk in wardrobe.

It was relatively neutral and plain, and I didn't have much with me to decorate at that point. Asides from my clothes, I didn't have any personal items with me which was a shame.

I felt weird without my phone, especially without any of my music but I figured I would just have to buy an MP3 or something.

I brushed it off, taking a hot shower before heading to bed. I fell into a dreamless sleep.

.

The next day was a lazy Sunday, well it was for me at least. I had woken up late to a silent house. Rania had gone to work already and Liam was about to head off when I came into the living room.

"So, since we won't be around today, I was hoping you'd want to meet my little brother," Liam began, looking a little unsure and waiting for my response.

I was still in my pyjamas, eating a second bowl of cereal when he said that so I just blinked up at him from my seat on the sofa, the sitcom on the tv forgotten.

"Mike?" I asked, once I had swallowed my mouthful.

"Yeah," He trailed off, looking a little confused.

"Okay. When are we gonna meet up?" I asked, finishing off my bowl of cereal.

"He's going to come round in an hour. It's up to you how you spend your time together, just be home by ten. It's a school night," He seemed a little awkward giving me a curfew but he was being a lot more reasonable than my parents had ever been.

"Okay, I'll be home before then," I nodded. It was also odd playing the role of a child. I had been 19 when I died, turning 20 later that year. I had already settled into my first year at university, but here I was pretending to be 17, not even 18.

I was just thankful that my body was still the same and hadn't changed. I would have been more annoyed if my braces and acne came back. Those awkward days were behind me.

"Okay then," He hesitated once again and I looked away from the tv and back at him, giving him a questioning look.

"I have something for you," I put the empty cereal bowl down as he pulled something out of his pocket. He held his hand out to me and I took it, inspecting what he handed over.

One was a black credit card and the other was a small shiny silver flip phone.

Very impressive.

"You're a teenager and I understand you want some independence. I trust you to be responsible," he explained.

I could tell he was nervous around me. I was this random teen kid that was related to his fiancée and suddenly had to care for after something tragic happened.

"Oh wow, this is too much, I really couldn't," I felt bad he was trying so hard with me when I really didn't mind. Being here was more than enough for me.

"No no, keep it," He smiled more genuinely.

"Thank you Liam." I said sincerely.

He soon left for work, bidding me goodbye. I was left alone so I decided to change into something a little more presentable.

After dressing in some warm and comfortable clothes, the doorbell rang and I moved to answer it.

I pulled the door open to reveal a blond boy, who gave me a shy smile. He was tall and relatively well built with blue eyes and an attractive baby face.

"Hi, you must be Mike, come in," I opened the door wide and let him step in, shaking off some rain off his boots while laughing nervously.

"Yeah that's me, you must be Anat, Rania's cousin," I nodded.

"Yeah that's me. Do you wanna come inside or did you have something planned?" I asked.

"I was thinking of showing you around town while the weathers good. And maybe meeting some of my friends too," He reminded me of his older brother with the way he nervously watched for my reaction.

"Yeah of course that's great. Let me grab my coat and shoes. I'll be back in a sec." I grabbed my stuff and came back into the corridor where he was waiting. I slipped in my boots and tied the laces before putting on my coat. I made sure I had my new phone and card before we both left, locking up the house.

"Sorry about the car, I still don't have my own," He began once we were walking towards his silver minivan.

"Oh don't be. I can't even drive yet and I can't be bothered to learn," It was true. I had never gotten round to getting my driving license even though I was 19.

"When you live in London, it's honestly cheaper to not have a car," I added.

"Oh really? What's it like there?"

We both buckled up in his car and drove around town, making light conversation and growing comfortable around each other. We eventually stopped off in the town center where people mingled about chatting with each other.

We walked towards a group of teenagers and they all turned to stare at me.

"Mike, you made it, who's this?" A dark skinned guy asked. He had to be Tyler, the token black character in this novel.

"Hey guys, this Anat, she's new in town. She's in the same class as us too," I gave them all a smile.

"This is Tyler, Lauren, Eric, Angela and Jessica," They each gave a small greeting or wave as their name was called out, but I had no trouble figuring who was who.

"So Ana, where you from?" Lauren asked, pretending to look disinterested.

"It's Anat and I'm from England,"

"Oh wow so like London right?" Jessica asked.

"That's not what I meant. You're not white so where are you really from," I rolled my eyes at the question as Lauren interrupted me from answering Jessica.

"I'm Egyptian,"

"Oh wow so like mummies right?" Jessica piped up once again. I looked down at the shorter girl, not sure whether to be offended or not.

"Well yeah, but it's not just mummies and pyramids though," I added.

"Forget that. Come on Anat, let's show you all the cool hangouts of Forks," Tyler interrupted, slinging his arm over my shoulders. I was a little surprised by his boldness, but before I could move away from Tyler, Mike pulled me away himself, and I was once again surprised by the audacity of these boys.

I moved away from both of them slyly, moving towards the front of the group.

"Dude your new cousin-in-law is hot." Tyler snickered. I didn't hear Mike's response and I scoffed lowly to myself and moved closer to Angela and struck up conversation with her.

Overall, it wasn't a bad day at all and I found myself looking forward to school the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

My lack of driving knowledge was apparently quite surprising to everyone, and quite a nuisance too because no one could drop me off or pick me up from school on time.

So after opting to walk the mile to school (which was nothing for me since I've walked farther than that easily), Mike had kindly volunteered to be my ride.

We didn't live too far apart, a five minute drive away, but I figured in a small town it was impossible to live too far off from anything.

So Monday morning rolled around and I heard him beep his car outside. I grabbed my backpack that I had packed the night before and my jacket, leaving the house and locking up, jumping in the passenger seat of his car.

"Morning Mike. Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it," I smiled.

"Yeah sure, we're family now," He cleared his throat, looking back at the road and driving off. The radio was on, a familiar song playing in the background.

"You know Fall Out Boy?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." I added. I realised that the band was still pretty new right now and had yet to release their second album, which only made me realise how much I had to censor myself. I would have to be careful what I spoke of otherwise I would be labelled a nutcase.

I shook off the thoughts as Mike began talking.

We spent the rest of the ride talking about music and singing along to the radio and before I knew it, we pulled into the staff car park in front of the reception.

I jumped out the car quickly to head into the office. It was small and cluttered, with the heater blasting heat right is to my face as soon as I walked in. The old lady behind the desk was kind enough as she handed me my schedule, locker combination and the slips for my teachers to sign.

I headed back into the car and Mike drive around to park in the student section. He pulled up besides a blue van with several familiar people already hovering by.

I got out the car, swinging my backpack onto my shoulder and greeted everyone.

"Hey Anat, you excited for your first day at Forks High?" Angela asked. I nodded smiling at her.

"Yeah, I feel like it's gonna be a crazy experience for me. The things I've heard about this town," They chuckled, probably thinking I was being sarcastic, and while a part of me was, I was genuinely serious.

They of course had no idea, but avoiding vampires and shapeshifters was going to be taxing on me. Especially if one of them could read my every thought.

"Being a Forks Spartan is only for the extreme," Tyler joked. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm the eyes and ears of the place. You need a shoulder to cry on, a lunch date, I'm your guy," Eric gave me what supposed to be a charming smile, but it came out more dorky than anything.

"How many times have you made that offer?" I snickered. The group chuckled at Eric's expense and we continued talking for a while longer before I decided to head in early.

"I'm going to go to my locker and put my stuff away before lessons," I stated.

"Cool, what lessons do you have?" I handed Jessica my schedule to inspect herself.

"Oh bummer. We only have gym together today," She frowned.

"Unlucky. We hardly have any lessons together. But I'll meet up with you before lunch," Mike added.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys then." I gave a quick wave before heading inside, ignoring all the eyes that followed me.

I found my locker and dumped my bag in it, only pulling out my notepad and pens for the next lesson. I had English Literature, first thing in the morning and I was not looking forward to it.

I walked into the class, handing my teacher the slip to sign. I looked around the class as he signed it, looking for an open seat as students began filing in.

A brunette sat towards the back, looking out the window with a frown. The seat besides her remained open so I decided to sit besides her.

I placed my stuff on the desk, pulling out my chair, and she looked towards me, moving her bag with a mumbled apology.

"Hi, you must be Bella, I'm Anat," I introduced.

"Yeah that's me. You're the new new girl," She stated. I nodded. She nodded too, not saying much after that so I decided to let her be and turn back towards the teacher.

We were looking at poems and it was simple enough that I managed to get on with the work relatively okay, with only a few mumbled curse words from myself.

"So you moved from London?" I looked up from my work, towards Bella. She was looking at me properly and I took a second to analyse her features.

She was pretty, with clear pale skin and dark features. Her lips were pink and pouty and her eyes wide and doe like. A real innocent and almost old fashioned type of beauty.

"Yeah, I did. So I'm used to this kind of weather mostly. Though the summers in London are hot. You get really dry heatwaves that last for weeks," I rambled.

"Oh cool. I love the heat. I'm from Arizona so it was hard getting used to the weather here," She frowned, shaking her head.

"You must miss your old life huh?" I asked. She nodded and I could sympathise. A beat of silence passed between us before I broke it once again.

"Don't write this town off yet," She looked at me a little questioningly. "The quietness of it all is going to fade off fast so I'd make the most of it and enjoy the normalcy while I can," I continued.

She just stared at me quietly, blinking at me with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?" She finally asked.

"It means: lock your windows at night." Her eyebrows rose and furrowed with confusion. She stared at me for a while longer, as if waiting for anymore explanations as to what I was talking about.

I didn't offer anything else so she eventually looked away, biting and chewing her lip while deep in thought.

I was just hoping that I could prevent from Tyler almost running her over tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the day slowly dragged on before it was finally lunch time. All my lessons were basic and I was confident I would keep up in them. I walked with Mike to the cafeteria and after getting through the line and paying for my food, I sat down with the group at the table with my tray.

Bella was at the table, sitting towards the end next to Angela.

"Hey Anat, how were your lessons so far?" Jessica asked, once I had taken my seat besides her.

"Not too exciting. Boring," I shrugged, biting into my apple. Bella looked up at me but glanced away once we made eye contact.

"I heard you sat next to Edward Cullen!" Jessica squealed. I winced, not at all surprised that she had somehow found out that information even though she wasn't in the class.

I guess she wasn't the gossip queen for nothing.

"Yeah," I nodded, not sure what else to say about it.

I had figured that Edward couldn't read my mind because he hardly looked up or reacted to all the things I was mentally shouting at him. I had called him a few choice words in my head but after twenty minutes, I happily concluded that he couldn't hear my thoughts.

A mercy really.

"I heard you two had some chemistry between you," I grimaced, glancing across the cafeteria to see that the Cullens were all seated at their usual table and could probably hear this conversation.

"Yeah, because it was a chemistry lesson, so naturally there was chemistry involved," I rolled my eyes. She scoffed at my response and I smirked back at her.

"That's not what I meant," She huffed and I shrugged. I could tell Bella was interested in our conversation from the way she kept looking at us before looking away, pretending to be disinterested in the topic of Edward Cullen.

"We exchanged two words. Leave the poor boy alone," I said, picking up a French fry and nibbling on it.

"I wouldn't try if I were you, no one here is good enough for Edward," Lauren chimed rather haughtily. She gave me a pointed look before sneering at Bella across the table who blushed and hid behind her hair.

"Don't worry. He's really not my type. I prefer blondes," I winked at her, throwing her off as she vaguely brushed her own blonde hair off her shoulder.

"So what about Jasper Hale? Would you dare go for him?" Jessica asked, wiggling her brows suggestively at me.

"I was thinking more of Rosalie Hale, but Jasper's hot too," I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but she's taken," Jessica leaned closer to me, pointing non too discreetly at the Cullen table. "She's dating Emmett Cullen, the huge one," I looked over to them myself, watching as Emmett swung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Bummer," I mumbled, pretending to sigh dejectedly. I was clearly joking but the guys at the table gave me funny looks, finally interested in our little girl talk.

"Anat you into chicks or something?" Tyler asked.

"That's none of your business," I snapped. He only blinked at me with a stupid smirk and I was glad I didn't have the ability to read his mind because I was pretty sure I knew where his thoughts had gone.

"But like I said, you can always go for Jasper, if you dare," I turned back to Jessica, a little confused as to why she was saying that. I didn't think Alice would appreciate me going after her mans so I brushed it off, changing the topic.

"Anyways, I have calculus next, anyone in my lesson?" Most people shook their heads.

"No sorry, but we have gym together with Jessica and Bella too." Mike replied.

The rest of the lunch period I spent talking to Jessica. We had gotten onto the topic of hair since her hair was curly and I had to know how she kept it so voluminous and frizz free in the rain. The bell rang and we all went our separate ways

I walked into the classroom, standing at the front as I waited for the teacher to sign my pink slip. He was kind enough to not make me introduce myself, like some of the other teachers had me do earlier.

The desks were long so that each desk sat three people in a row. There was only one seat available and it was right in between two Cullens.

Alice gave me a smile as we made eye contact and I smiled back, walking over to the desk and taking the seat. I glanced at Jasper besides me and he had his eyes glued to the desk, his jaw clenched and his body entirely too still.

I knew for a fact that I didn't stink so I decided to ignore it and not take it personal. It was probably all the blood and emotions around him that was getting to him.

The teacher didn't do much talking and gave us questions to work on from the textbook. Most the class was talking and the teacher didn't seem to care.

"I really like your outfit," A voice piped up. I turned to Alice, giving the girl a genuine smile.

"Really?" I asked, a little surprised that she was actually complimenting me.

"Yeah, especially the shoes and I really love your piercings," I touched my ears, suddenly not knowing what to do now that this stunning fashion expert had actually complimented me.

"Thanks." I had assumed that would be the end of our interaction, and for a while it was. I silently got on with my work, ignoring how I could feel Jasper glaring into the side of my face while Alice stared at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

I wanted to question why my seat was in between theirs and why hadn't Alice sat next to her mate but I refrained from asking, figuring it was too impolite.

"You're from London right?" The high musical voice asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at her but she continued talking before I could reply. "I've been there a few time, it's amazing. I love shopping there," I nodded silently to her rambling.

We were clearly from different sides of the large city. I hadn't grown up in the glitz and glamour but had instead grown up in one of the more impoverished areas. I had seen too many things as a kid, things I'd rather not discuss.

"What's your favourite movie?" She asked randomly, making me blank since I hadn't been paying attention.

"Not sure, I don't really have one." I shrugged, looking back away at my worksheet.

I could somehow feel the frustration roll of her and I wondered what was upsetting her so much. As I doodled absentmindedly on my work, I could feel each vampire besides me somehow communicating.

The lesson dragged and I felt like I was in the middle of some sort of tension between the couple. Jasper didn't speak and I could feel all sorts of emotions pouring off of him. Alice had seemingly given up on talking too and had gone still and silent, her eyes glazed over with a faraway look.

Needless to say, I was glad the lesson was over and I quickly got up and left the strange couple, walking alone in the halls until I caught up with Jessica and Mike.

"How was your lesson?" Mike asked.

"It was alright, I'm just excited for gym," It was true. I had been an athletic kid growing up and while I didn't take sports serously enough to compete professionally, I still took the time to enjoy it.

"We're playing volleyball this term, so the varsity team can practice, but coach is gonna make us run laps first." Jessica groaned as we walked into the sports hall.

We split up, Mike and Jessica heading to their respective changing rooms while I walked over towards the overweight and balding coach to sign my slip.

After scribbling on the link sheet, he handed me a uniform and grunted at me to get ready. I did so and after finding an open space besides Jessica, I got undressed and dressed into the navy shorts and yellow top.

Jessica was right because the coach made us run laps around the hall. I didn't mind much, running the first round at a leisurely pace besides Jessica.

It was clear she wasn't all that into running as she began chatting with another girl so I took that as an opportunity to run faster, moving towards the front of the group.

I caught up to Mike who was running at an impressive speed, but I figured as a football player he had to be fast. He was running alongside other members of the football team.

"Hey Anat, looking good, didn't take you for a runner," Mike smiled, his face flushed but he wasn't out of breath yet.

"I used to run competitively," I shrugged.

Running had been my only escape and I missed the burn in my legs. I quickly departed from the group, running at my own pace as I pushed myself to go faster. I could feel the familiar tightening in my chest as I struggled to breath through the pain.

I hadn't ran in a while and it clearly showed.

"So you're the girl trying to steal my girl," A voice boomed. I snapped my neck to the side so fast I was afraid I had gotten whiplash.

The large golden eyed man smiled down at me, easily keeping up my pace and remaining as cool as a cucumber. His footsteps were so light that I didn't feel him come up besides me.

I was out of breath at this point and talking was a struggle.

"Miss Steal-Yo-Girl is my nickname," I huffed.

"Last round!" The coach yelled out.

"I don't think it would be wise to steal the girl of a guy more than twice your size," Emmett piped up. I was too busy focusing on making it to the end of the lap where I had bent over, grasping my knees to catch my breath.

It took me a while to calm my raving heart and for the pain in my chest to subside. I straightened up to face the giant.

Emmett patiently stood besides me, watching me with an amused smirk as he didn't so much as break a sweat or lose his breath.

"Look, I'm not implying anything," I began, pausing to pant some more. "But all those muscles seem to be overcompensating for something else," I finished, wiping off the dampness from my brow with my sleeve.

He raised a brow at me silently.

"And you think you'd be better than me in that aspect," He looked me up and down.

"Well yes. I have all sorts of kinky stuff up my sleeve," I retorted. That was a lie, but I was enjoying this light banter between us. He chuckled down at me.

"My real name's Anat, nice to meet you," I held out my hand for him to shake. He stared down at it, his thick arms crossed over his huge chest before slowly grabbing it in one of his much larger hands.

"Emmett," was all he said simply.

He shook my hand delicately, as if afraid to break it in his, which was a valid concern for such a large and strong vampire. We let go and I gave him a curious look, pausing before asking the question burning on the tip of my tongue.

"Why do you bring a dozen eggs to lunch?"

His only response was a loud booming laugh.


	5. Chapter 5

Playing volleyball was fun.

I had never played the sports so it took me a while to get used to the rules and the format, but since I had played basketball and handball most of my life, my hand coordination was good and my reflexes were fast enough.

Bella was on my team and I felt bad for the girl. It was concerning how clumsy and uncoordinated she was.

Lauren was also on my team and I could tell she was growing frustrated with Bella, which was understandable. Lauren was the captain of the volleyball team and she was playing against most of her team so for her, the stakes were high. I ended up helping her, making hard the ball never came near Bella.

She was trying to prove she could play against most of her team, which she was doing pretty well. She was also a great teammate to play with and we quickly worked together well.

All in all, a really great way to end the day.

"Great game Anat, that was impressive for a first timer," One of the team members complimented.

"Thanks Gwen," I smiled, finishing getting dressed in my normal clothes.

"Yeah Anat, you should think about joining the team," Another piped up.

"I'll think about it," I promised.

I was about to leave the changing room when someone stepped in my way. I looked up at the person, realising it was Lauren, who had her arms crossed over her chest and her blue eyes narrowed.

"What was that on the court?" I blanched at her question, not sure as to what she was referring to.

"What?" I asked.

"You can run, and play volleyball," She stated accusingly.

"Yeah," I nodded, wondering if that was it.

She stepped closer, pushing something into my chest. I looked down and realised it was a paper. I took a second to read it.

It was a date for the volleyball team tryouts.

"I better see you there." She hissed. She stared at me for a while longer before stepping around me and I stood there for a moment longer, a little unsure as to what had just happened.

"Oh my god!" Jessica squealed, coming up to me and snatching the paper from my hands.

"What? What is it?" I asked as we began walking out of the school together.

"This is great! We haven't had a new person join our team in like years!" She continued. Jessica was also in the volleyball team, and although the shorter girl hated running, she had quite an impressive arm with some powerful shots.

"You're basically on the volleyball team!" I frowned as we walked outside.

"But I haven't even tried out, never mind accepted the position," I argued.

"There's no need to try out, everyone saw your impressive skills and if it was enough to impress Lauren then you're good to go," She explained as if it was that obvious.

"But what if I don't want to join the team," I asked. She gasped loudly, stopping and pulling my arm, making me stop.

"You don't just say no to Lauren like that! This is an honour, it will define your high school reputation," She hissed lowly, looking around as if someone was listening into our conversation.

We were in the middle of the car park now and I doubted anyone would care for our conversation.

"I care not for such fickle things," I scoffed, waving off her words. She gave me a weird look and I huffed. "I don't know if I can make the commitments to it. I'm not interested in playing professional sports," I explained.

"We only play a handful of matches every year and the most serious we've played is going to a district match in Seattle. Training is only twice a week too, hardly any time at all," I sighed.

"Fine then, I'll join if I get the offer," I huffed. She squealed, clapping her hands.

"Great, we're gonna be best friends now."

We continued walking and made it over to the group where Mike was waiting.

"Hey Superstar, I saw you kick ass in volleyball," Mike held out his hand and I smacked it in a high five. He threw an arm over my shoulder and squeezed me in a side hug.

"Good looks, athletic ability, these genes of ours are way too powerful," I laughed at Mike, watching as he flexed his other arm and gave a fake smouldering look. Everyone chuckled.

"Mike, you're white, about as pale as they come, you two don't share genes," Eric snorted.

"Hey, I get a little tan during summer." Mike protested. We continued talking for a while longer, and after learning the weather was going to be dry this weekend, we all agreed to go to La Push beach.

We all parted ways, and Mike and I got into his car. As he was pulling out, I spotted Alice standing by Edward's car, about to get in but she had her eyes glued onto me.

She looked distraught and lost and an uncomfortable feeling settled into my gut, as I wondered what had the psychic so worried.

Eventually, she disappeared from my view and I settled back into my seat, suddenly dreading tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day was the 25th of January, only a Tuesday. It would be my second day at Forks High, but that wasn't why it was marked on my calendar.

Today would be the day of the incident, whereby Tyler would almost squash Bella with his van.

I was torn between trying to prevent the events from happening and letting their natural course run. I knew Edward would save her, but I was also worried that he wouldn't. I didn't want to take that chance because me being here had changed the original plot of Twilight and I wasn't going to risk Bella's whole life if Edward just happened to change his mind.

So I had pushed for Mike to drop me off earlier than normal, which didn't require too much convincing since the roads were icy and frozen anyways, making travelling to school longer.

Bella was already there when we arrived and since I had no idea when Tyler would come screeching and skidding into the parking lot, I made my way over to the brunette as fast as I could without appearing panicked.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" I greeted her, a little out of breath. The ground was slippery and icy and I had almost slipped several times already. She looked up at me from her book, a little surprised.

"Hey Anat," She replied. I wasn't sure what else to say to the introverted girl besides me, who clearly wanted to be left alone as she turned back to her book. I stood besides her, debating how to go about what to say when I looked behind her.

I looked across the car park and spotted the Cullens already there by their silver Volvo. I made eye contact with Edward, staring at him and hoping he'd somehow understand my inner turmoil.

I wasn't even sure what I was asking but as I stood besides Bella, silently staring at Edward across the space, I heard tires screeching loudly.

I was close enough to grab Bella, but the floor was covered in patches of ice and there would be no way I could move both of us fast enough without slipping and falling.

Time seemed to slow down and Bella and I made eye contact, both of us rooted by fear for a second. I did the only thing I could, pulling the shocked girl into my arms and dropping to the ground.

I was being extra careful to make sure the girl wasn't hurt and her blood spilled so I took the brunt of the fall with her landing on top of me.

My body was working on autopilot, adrenaline coursing through my body with each fast beat of my heart. My head felt strangely empty as I shoved Bella under her truck to get her out and onto the other side to avoid being crushed.

"Go! Move away from the truck!" I yelled, pushing her further under the truck.

She seemed panicked, shuffling clumsily to the other side. I turned around to look back at the van. It hit the patches of ice surrounding Bella's truck and only seemed to move faster towards me.

As fast as I had managed to get Bella out of this, I knew there was no way I would make it.

The realisation only seemed to make my body slump, the adrenaline wearing off as I curled on the ground, waiting for the inevitable.

Just as the van came two feet within crushing me, I saw a pale hand shoot out and stop it, bringing the large vehicle to a screeching halt. The hand caused a deep indentation into the side of the van and I followed the hand to see it's owner.

For some reason, I had been expecting it to be Edward, somehow come to save the girl who helped save his mate, but it wasn't.

It was Jasper.

His eyes were wild and dark, a pitch black that seemed to be swallowing me whole. His blond curls were disheveled, only adding to the almost feral look he possessed in that moment.

The screaming and the shouting from the students slowly snapped me out of my daze, bringing me back to the present. The sudden onslaught of noise made me wince as my head began throbbing painfully. Each breath only made it worse as I felt a sharp stabbing pain along my side. I tried to move but it only became worse.

A cold hand to my temple made me snap my eyes open.

"Don't move, you're hurt," He murmured. I was entranced by his deep and calming voice that I naturally obeyed. It was perfect enough to lull me to sleep. I felt my eyes droop as the adrenaline left my body.

His hand was back on my face, this time cupping it so I would look back at him. I couldn't deny the tingles I felt on my skin where he touched.

"You have to stay awake, you might have a concussion," I only blinked up at him, too tired and shocked to immediately respond.

"You might want to fix that dent," I blurted out. I watched his expression and the way he calmly reached out with his hand under the van and pushed the hand indentation back out. He stared down at me, our eyes caught in a staring contest until the ambulances finally arrived.

They worked on pulling out Tyler first before moving his van and getting to me. I was too tired to care what was happening and let them strap me up and carry me away on a stretcher.

I wasn't sure what happened after that as I promptly passed out.

.

Coming back to the land of the living was an odd experience. My limbs felt sluggish and my mind struggled to form a logical thought.

There was just sounds and feelings as I forced my eyes to open. They refused to cooperate and after what felt like hours of struggling did I finally manage to peel them open.

I instantly shut them back together, blinded by a bright white light.

I tried opening them back up, the mumbling voices growing louder and clearer.

"Miss Ali, can you hear me?" A soft voice asked. It was deep and gentle, extremely pleasant to hear even on my sensitive ears.

"I think I'm dead," I mumbled. There was no way I was hearing angels speak if I was alive. I had finally ran out of luck and died a second time.

The angel that I still couldn't see chuckled, the sound making me smile too. Finally, I saw something move into my line of vision and the face matched the voice.

Absolutely angelic.

"I'm dead," I stated.

"You are most certainly not," He assured with a small smile. He turned away from me for a second, fiddling with something besides me and I finally looked around as my eyes adjusted to the white light.

I was in a hospital ward. I even spotted Tyler on the bed one down from one, a bandage around his head as he seemed to be sleeping. He looked awful, I felt bad for him.

I looked back down to myself, wondering what I looked like. I was in a hospital gown myself but I couldn't feel any pain. If anything I felt strange. Not in a bad way, but slightly tingly and almost light.

Before I could ask what was going on, the double doors burst open and two familiar people came rushing in.

"Oh my god Anat, you scared us!" Rania sobbed, stroking my hair and kissing my face. I gently patted her back as she mumbled into my neck, hugging me awkwardly as I was still laying on the bed. I looked at Liam who stood a little back.

"Your second day of school and you're already a hero," He chuckled wryly. Rania stepped back and Liam came closer and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

As much as my affection starved self enjoyed all the attention, I was really confused.

"Huh?" Was all I managed as I looked between the three adults in the room.

The handsome doctor smiled.

"Anat, what do you remember last?" He asked. I furrowed my brow, struggling to recall. It wasn't as if I couldn't remember, but everything felt like a jumbled mess and my mind was way too hazy to think that hard right now. My whole head felt empty actually.

Head empty, no thoughts kinda vibe.

"It's okay if you can't recall," He assured me after watching me struggle. He turned to my two guardians. "I've put her on some strong painkillers so she's still feeling a little high. It's nothing to worry about,"

"When will she be discharged?" Liam asked, clearly the calm and level headed one at that moment.

"The earliest she can be let out is tomorrow night I'm afraid. She will have to spend the night with such strong drugs in her system. I also want to keep her in for the day tomorrow to observe her," The doctor explained.

"All she needs is some rest and observations. She's doing well and will recover in no time," He smiled. Rania sniffled, glancing over at me with teary eyes and a worried expression.

"I'm high so it's all good," I held out a thumbs up for added effect, giggling as she snorted. She came over to me, stroking my hair back off of my face.

"Will you be fine here?" She asked.

"Yeah, as long as the doc can give me my next fix," I peered over at the golden eyed doctor who shook his head.

"Go home. I'll probably just go back to sleep." I yawned.

With a few more kisses and goodbyes, the couple left the room and I settled back into my bed.

"What happened to me anyways?" I asked the doctor.

"You had several fractured ribs from your fall and a mild concussion. Your ribs are healing well but your concussion was most concerning because you passed out on the ride to the hospital," He explained patiently.

"How long was I out?"

"About 14 hours," I nodded, yawning once again.

"Go to sleep Anat, you're tired." I didn't require anymore persuasion because I drifted off.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up relatively early, feeling well rested but a dull ache had settled along my right side making me uncomfortable. Thankfully, a nurse had been close by to adjust the bed so I could sit up.

She had also been patient enough to unhook me from all the machines so I could hobble to the bathroom. I was just glad I didn't require any assistance with my personal needs, although the bandages around my torso were tight enough to make moving awkward.

I grimaced at my reflection, noting the scrapes I had on the right side of my face. My skin looked yellowish and pale and my hair was an absolute mess.

I tried making myself presentable by washing my face. I wet my hair and finger combed it, pulling it into a low messy bun and figuring that what the best I could do for now.

I slowly hobbled back out of the bathroom adjoining the ward, seeing Tyler was now awake in his bed. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"Anat! I am so sorry I was speeding and I hit the ice wrong-,"

"It's okay Tyler,"

"No I could have killed you and Bella!" He seemed more upset about it than I was, which probably had to do with the fact that I didn't even blame him. In my opinion, he was just an unknowing victim to a fate written by an author, dictated by a novel which I was also now at the mercy of.

"Look, I'm not upset at all, it's just unfortunate timing really. As long as you stop speeding and become a better driver, there's nothing else you can do," I explained, walking over to my bed.

I carefully got in before looking back at him.

"We're both a little beat up. I think it's best we just relax and focus on getting better, okay?" He had calmed down now and nodded, relaxing back on his bed although his face looked distraught. I could feel him staring at me but I ignored it.

The doors opened and the golden eyed doctor from yesterday came in, greeting both of us. Two nurses followed him and went towards Tyler.

"Good morning Anat, how are you feeling?" He asked, scribbling some stuff down in a chart.

"A little sore but okay," I answered. He nodded.

"I'm taking you off the painkillers onto something a little weaker. I've prescribed some Tylenol which someone should bring to you soon with some breakfast," he explained. I nodded.

"Now, you have some visitors that want to see you, if you're ready." I was curious as to who would visit me right now. I assumed everyone was at work and school right now.

He left and after a minute, the doors opened back up again and three people stepped in.

Bella and Edward walked in, shortly followed by Jasper.

Damn, I was hoping I would have the day to myself before this.

"Bella, how are you? Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" I asked the brunette as she stopped besides me.

"I should be asking you that, I got out fine, thanks to you," I could tell she was torn on what to do since we weren't close and she felt awkward hugging me. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, about to say something but Tyler interrupted.

"I am so sorry, both of you I really am-,"

"Enough Tyler, let it go," I ordered, rolling my eyes at him and looking back at my visitors. He shut up for good this time thankfully.

"Are you guys heading to school?" I asked. I didn't miss how close Bella and Edward stood. I raised a brow at the girl and she just blushed.

"Yeah, we just wanted to come by before school and express our gratitude," Edward said, his face looking serious and somber.

"Anymore thanks and you'll be feeding my saviour complex," I said wryly.

"Seriously Amani, thank you," He continued, looking me deep in the eye. I only nodded, silently understanding what he meant.

"Well, we'll leave you for now," Edward stated.

"Okay, just make sure you convince the school to not dedicate a holiday to my act of bravery," I said sarcastically. The couple chuckled and both left and I turned back to Jasper who had yet to speak and still lingered.

He just stared at me, having taken the seat besides my bed. He looked too comfortable for his own good.

"Jasper," I paused, not knowing what to say after that. While it would be so much easier and even better for my own good to pretend I didn't remember his display of vampiric ability, I couldn't just ignore the fact that he had saved me when he didn't have to.

He risked exposure just for my life and I couldn't ignore it.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving my life," For a while he didn't respond, just watched my face. His eyes were as dark as I remembered from that day. While it probably meant he hadn't fed in a while, I didn't find it threatening at all.

"You don't need to thank me," He stated, almost sounding a little upset that I had done so.

"You had no reason to save me but you did, so I think I do," I replied.

"What makes you think I didn't have a reason to save you?" He asked, tilting his head as he watched me. He caught me off guard with that one and I frowned at him.

"Why did you save me then?" I asked a little quieter, aware that Tyler was in the room too. He looked like he'd had passed out again but I didn't want to risk it.

"You know something," He said, leaning forward so he was closer to me.

"I know a few things so you're going to have to be specific," I chuckled. He remained quiet for a while longer, watching me and seemingly debating something.

"Alice told me to not say anything, but fuck it," he mumbled. That got my interest. Had the pixie seen something?

"You know something about our family," He stated once again. I was growing tired of his vagueness.

"If that's the case then aren't I better off dead?" I asked, annoyance seeping into my tone.

"No, because whatever you're hiding is important to my family. The well being and happiness of my coven depend on this knowledge," He seemed angry by the end of his speech as his beautiful face twisted into a scowl.

He stood up suddenly and leaned down close to my face.

"You have a decision to make and I suggest you make it fast." And then, he disappeared.

I wasn't sure how to feel at his poorly hidden threat but all I felt was anger. It did nothing to help the increasing pain building up and all I could do was wait for a nurse to come with some food and painkillers.

.

The day was slow and quiet and I spent it just thinking. I was still annoyed at Jasper having threatened me, but I was more confused than anything about the whole interaction.

Why was Alice so upset around me and why was Jasper threatening me?

There was so much I knew about the Cullens so I had no idea what specifically Jasper meant by it. I wasn't going to put all my cards on the table, I wasn't stupid, but I figured I couldn't sit here and pretend I didn't know what was going on.

I had barely managed to get out of the car incident without the Cullens intervening. It was clear to me now that I couldn't keep all my knowledge to myself and prevent all the incidents from happening myself. I was one human up against forces of the supernatural.

I still wasn't sure how to go about anything just yet so the only thing I had decided later that day was that I would confront Alice alone.

Thankfully, Doctor Cullen had come by to tell me I would be discharged later during the evening.

"You also have some visitors waiting for you," He added. I peeked up, having grown bored from being in the room for most of the day. "Shall I let them in?" I nodded and he left.

Jessica, Mike, Eric and Angela all came in, with a bouquet of flowers and a massive card.

Jessica was the first to greet me, throwing her arms around me.

"Oh my god I'm so glad to see you up, I thought you weren't going to make it," She cried and I pat her back, chuckling at her over dramatic display.

"I'm fine Jessica. I wasn't even out for a day," She pulled back, sniffling.

"Next time you pull a stupid move like that, at least warn me," I crossed my heart.

"Scouts honour," I joked.

It was odd how I'd only know her for three days now and I felt oddly close to her. She was funny and relatable and I felt like I had known her for so long with the way we seamlessly got along.

"Anat," Mike leaned in and we hugged for a bit before he also let go. "I got this signed by most of the school and even a few teachers," I smiled at the card, looking it over before placing it on the nightstand.

Eric and Angela had moved on to greet Tyler who was also up. It took a while for Jessica and Mike to actually acknowledge their friend, and I could understand why they would be upset.

"Guys, it's okay, let's just get over this," I insisted.

"When will you be out Tyler?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," He replied.

"Okay then, are we still on for Saturday, La Push?" I asked, looking around at everyone.

And just like that, everyone was back to normal. After ten minutes though, they had to leave, but they weren't my only visitors.

Edward and Bella came in, followed by a man wearing a police uniform. His dark hair and eyes as well as 70s moustache told me who exactly he was.

"Hey Anat, how's your day been?" Bella asked.

"Boring, all I've done is sleep and think,"

"I hear you'll be discharged this evening," Edward added and I nodded, glancing at the chief of police who hovered a little awkwardly.

"Anat, this is my dad, Charlie Swan," Bella introduced.

"Pleased to meet you Chief Swan," I held out my hand which he shook gruffly. "I hope I'm not in trouble? Whatever the other person said, I didn't do it,"

"No kid, you're not in trouble," he shook his head, his moustache twitching. "I just came here to thank you, for saving Bells,"

"No need to thank me Mr Swan,"

"Well I will anyways, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved Bella," He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking to Bella who blushed and hid her face behind her hair. Edward placed his hand on her back.

"I'll leave you kids to it then. I'll see you later Bells," He nodded at me before turning around and shuffling out of the room. I turned to Bella.

"Bella, your dad is hot,"

The poor girl sputtered, giving me an incredulous look before looking back towards the door where Charlie had just left.

"Could you have said that any louder?" She sighed.

"Did he hear?" I asked. Edward nodded and I shrugged.

"Well its good for him to know that he still has it going for him. He can totally score with some young girls if he wanted to,"

"Oh my god stop," She squeaked. Edward chuckled, earning him a glare from her.

"All I'm saying is, he puts a whole new meaning to the saying: fuck the police," She groaned and Edward coughed, as if choking. I turned to him.

"Don't worry Edward, your dad's hot too," This time, Bella snorted and Edward was the one who sighed, shaking his head.

"But I'm not a home wrecker," I continued. "Seriously Bella, would you mind terribly if I became your step mother?"

She just groaned as Edward and I laughed at her.


	8. Chapter 8

It was later that evening, as I was being discharged that I spotted my opportunity. Carlisle was talking to Rania and Liam about my aftercare routine and the do's and don't's of it all. I had been given the same lecture earlier so I had stopped paying attention quickly.

As I looked around the quiet almost empty hospital waiting room, I spotted Alice hovering by the empty nurses station. I glanced at the adults and they seemed to be otherwise engaged so I slipped away without them noticing.

"Alice," I greeted the girl. She didn't respond but grabbed my hand and pulled me away to a private hallway.

"Anat," Was all she said. Again, she had that uncertain and fearful look in her eyes, her lips thin and twisted into a frown as she furrowed her brows.

"Tell me what I need to do and I'll do it," I said, deciding to say what I really want to say. There was no point skirting around each other and pretending we didn't know anything.

"You know about my past," She said quietly, looking down at our still joined hands.

I gasped, suddenly feeling so stupid.

I had forgotten that Alice couldn't remember her human past. It was never a huge focus in the movies or the books so I had forgotten up until now. I was too busy focusing on trying to help Edward and Bella that I didn't realise I could also help Alice and spare her so much time and pain.

"I'm so sorry Alice, I didn't realise I could have-," I paused, not knowing what to say. I decided to change directions. "When do you want me to?" I asked.

She looked up at me, her furrowed brow smoothing and her lips parting a little. Her eyes seems to be searching mine for something as the silence between us stretched.

"I can wait until you're healed from the accident-," I cut her off.

"Nonsense. How about tomorrow after school?" I asked. She nodded slowly, her eyes still searching my face.

"Would you prefer if I came over to your place instead?"

"I'm not sure, what do you think?" She asked. I thought about it for a second. What I was going to tell her would be a lot to handle so she might appreciate some support from her family.

"I think it would be best if I just came over to your house," I decided. She nodded silently. I figured this was the end of our conversation as I didn't want to be away from Rania and Liam for too long. "Okay then, I'll see you then,"

"Okay," she finally smiled, albeit a small and still unsure one. We walked back to where we left the adults, still hand in hand before she let go and skipped over to Carlisle just as he was finishing his conversation off.

"Alice, what a pleasant surprise," he greeted his daughter. She gave him a kiss on the cheek in response and I watched the interaction, noting how much happier the smaller girl seemed.

"Anat and I were talking. We thought it might be helpful if she came over after school tomorrow to help her with her work," The girl looked towards my two guardians who looked at me for confirmation.

"Oh yeah, I figured it'd be better if I stayed with the Cullens for a bit instead of getting bored at home,"

Rania pursed her lips, looking towards Dr Cullen.

"Only if that's okay with you and your family,"

"Yes it's more than fine," He assured her.

"Great. Anat, you can come by tomorrow," Alice concluded. She made her way back over to me, surprising me with a fierce hug.

"Thank you," she whispered into my ear. I didn't say anything, just squeezed her back before we let go. After saying our goodbyes, we left the hospital and drove back home.

It felt good to be out of the sterile building and in my own space. We ate take-out and watched mindless tv before I headed over to my bedroom.

Showering was quite the task since I had to be careful to not disturb my ribs. By the time I had put on some fresh bandages and dressed, I was exhausted and fell asleep almost as soon as I hit the bed.

.

I woke up with a start the next day, my clothes and hair sticking to me with sweat. It took me a while to calm my racing heart but once I did, I grimaced at my state.

A quick glance to my alarm clock told me it was almost 11 am. I had slept for quite a while considering the early night I had last night too.

The house was silent and I decided to see if anyone was home. I found Liam sitting with a laptop in the living room, looking busy typing.

"Hey you're up. How you feeling?" He asked, having noticed me hovering by the entrance. He frowned after noticing my less than presentable state.

"Good, sleeping was a bit awkward with the bandages though," I shrugged, brushing off his concern. "Do you have work today?"

"I'm doing some it right now but yeah, I need to be in the store to do most of it though," He murmured, once again distracted by his screen as he typed away.

As the eldest Newton, he was in charge of the store and was essentially getting ready to completely take it over from his dad. The store did surprisingly well since it was popular with hikers and tourists who wanted to explore the lush nature around this town.

"You can drop me off at the Cullens earlier if you want and head to the store," I suggested.

"It's not even twelve yet, they won't be home," He pointed out.

"Mrs Cullen will be home and maybe even Dr Cullen. I don't mind spending time with them," I shrugged. He deliberated for a second.

"Would they be okay with that?" He asked.

"Yeah they will be,"

"Okay then, if you're sure." I nodded, heading back into my room to get changed and dressed.

I took another awkward shower before I got dressed slowly. I chose some loose comfortable clothes this time, going for a matching set of baby pink joggers and hoodie.

I slipped on some shoes and grabbed my jacket, slipping my phone in the pocket.

"Are you not going to eat?" Liam asked.

"Nah, I'll eat when I'm there." He nodded, and after he grabbed his stuff, we jumped into his car and drove silently.

We almost missed the small dirt path that lead to their home but after a short bumpy and muddy ride, the path turned into a neat gravel driveway.

The house was quite spectacular and stood tall amongst the trees. It wasn't too different from the house in the movies, with glass and wood incorporated into the design so that it almost blended into the nature.

We stepped out of the car and I craned my neck upwards, looking through all the glass windows and trying to guess which room was what.

The door opened before Liam could knock and Esme opened up, giving us a slightly surprised smile.

"Hello Mrs Cullen, sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if it was okay to drop Amani off a little earlier than planned?" It was quite fun to see other people become flustered around the Cullens. Poor Liam was blushing so hard.

"Of course, that's more than okay," I climbed up the stairs to properly greet her.

"Thank you Mrs Cullen, I'm Anat," I held my hand out to her for her to shake but she surprised me by ignoring it and instead pulling me in for a hug.

"It's great to finally meet you Anat, please, call me Esme," I was shocked by the amount of sincerity and sentimentality in her greeting, but I brushed it off.

"Will you be coming inside?" She asked Liam. He shook his head and explained he was going to work. After promising to call him when I was done, he soon drove off and I headed inside with Esme.

"Unfortunately it's just me home at the moment, so I'm not sure what you'd like to do," She sounded a little nervous as she took my jacket and hung it up. I slipped off my shoes too, out of habit.

"That's fine, I was just bored at home. Can I help you with anything?" I asked. She looked thoughtful for a second.

"How about lunch? Did you eat at home?" I shook my head and we both headed into the kitchen.

"I have to say, it's a beautiful home you have Esme. I really like how the wood and glass exterior really make the house blend into the forest," I commented. She beamed.

"Thank you Anat. I designed it a while ago and I just had to incorporate the forest into it." She explained.

Talking to Esme was easy and comfortable. She was so kind and compassionate that it almost hurt. It reminded me of my own mother, her face already feeling a little blurry. I could hear her voice and smell her but that was it. My memories from my old life already felt so distant and unclear.

Well, most of them anyways.

Some of them I could recall in perfect clarity and I hated it.

I quickly brushed off those thoughts as I focused on stirring the pasta sauce.

I could think about that another day, but today, I was focusing on Alice and her past.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I have made some changes so the story, nothing major. The main characters name has changed but the original plot is the same, though I've taken out some bits in the story that I felt were unnecessary.

Esme and I were in the greenhouse when everyone arrived home. She had shown me around the home after I had eaten lunch, before showing me their impressive back garden.

She had quite the green thumb and the beautifully landscaped space obviously had a greenhouse at the back for the kore exotic plants.

She had given me a bottle of water mixed with some sorts of plant minerals and vitamins to lightly spray on the leaves while she went about, snipping off the dead leaves and buds of the plants.

Edward had come and greeted us both.

"Esme," he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, before looking at me and nodding. "Anat." he didn't say anything else but I took it as a cue to head inside where everyone else was.

"Anat, how are you feeling today?" Carlisle, ever the doctor asked once I had arrived in the living room. He was seated comfortably at the lone armchair, where Esme moved towards and sat on the armrest.

"Good, still sore. Moving around too much is exhausting," I took the only empty seat left, besides Alice.

Emmett and Rosalie took the largest sofa and Edward decided to lean on the wall opposite me, while Jasper stood behind my seat.

It felt strategic and it no doubt was, though I found it funny how all these vampires felt threatened by me, a single human.

It was silent as I settled into my seat so I figured it was up to me to start talking.

"So I'm going to cut to the chase and be honest with you all. I know what you all are," I gauged their reactions for a second, not suprised that Rosalie and Edward were immediately hostile.

"Impossible,"

"See, I told you we should just kill her," Carlisle hushed them and I continued.

"That's not even the strange part, you see I died," I licked my lips, trying to k word the next part right. "And I was reincarnated here, as a different version of myself,"

"Maybe if we tell everyone she's a nutcase then we won't have to kill her," Rosalie muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"No need Rosalie, I'll die soon enough, just let me finish speaking," I took a calming breathe before continuing. "I know things. I don't know how or why, but I just know things,"

"So what? You can see the future then?" Edward scoffed.

"No, I'm not a psychic like Alice. I think clairvoyant is the best word I can use to describe it." His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed at me. I turned my gaze back to Carlisle who looked calmly at me.

"This includes knowing things about individuals and their past and that's why I'm here. I know about Alice's past," I looked at the girl besides me, turning my body to face her.

"Do you want me to tell you?" I asked. She nodded. Everyone in the room shifted. I took a second to brace myself before I began.

"Your name was Mary Alice Brandon and you were born in Biloxi Mississippi in 1901. Your father was a jeweller and a pearl trader. Your mother tended to the home and cared for you and your little sister, Cynthia," I paused, watching her face. She grabbed my hand and nodded, urging me to continue.

"You used to have your visions from a young age, as a human. Often in your sleep. The people in the town talked especially when you tried warning a friend and your cousin about something awful. Of course, they didn't believe you and eventually, your vision came true and they died. The town blamed you for their death and you were outcasted,"

She squeezed my hand and I placed my other one on top of her slightly shaking fingers.

"The visions only continued and you had a horrible vision of your mother being murdered. You didn't know who exactly would murder her but you still warned her and she believed you. She took precaution and after months of nothing happening, she let her guard down," She gasped.

"Your mother was murdered one night but it was written off as an accident and your father silenced you about it,"

I quickly glanced at everyone else to see their reactions and they all looked to be as on edge as Alice was. I quickly continued.

"Your father remarried some blonde Yankee six months later and she treated you horribly but she doted on your sister. Of course you sensed there was foul play involved and after telling your father you thought she had killed your mother, he became very angry. He lost it," I swallowed.

"You had a vision that your mother's killer was planning to kill you. You also learnt that your mother's killer was your own father," I heard a few gasps across the room but ignored them as I looked at Alice.

Her golden eyes were watery with tears that would never fall and my heart broke for her.

"You tried asking the townspeople for help but they blamed you for the death of your cousin and friend. You tried asking the town marshal for help but your father was one step ahead unfortunately,"

"Alice, he told everyone you had gone mad. And they all believed him. It really gets worse from here," She shivered, something I didn't know vampires could do.

"Please continue," She choked out.

"You were sent to an asylum about two counties away. You had to endure all sorts of horrible things there, one of them being shock therapy. It gave you amnesia so even as a human, in your last moments you couldn't recall anything before the asylum,"

"There was also the threat of a typhoid breakout so they shaved your hair, that's why it's so short," She touched her hair with her free hand absentmindedly.

"I always wondered," She murmured distractedly. I gave her a sad smile before speaking again.

"A vampire worked at the asylum and you quickly befriended him," Everyone looked most surprised at that part, and I glanced at Carlisle who looked a little surprised too.

"He was interested in your power and would often hide objects in his hands and you would guess them. Of course, you were always right," I chuckled. She gave a short quick smile before it disappeared.

"One day, you had a vision of another vampire, a tracker named James coming after you after he caught your scent," I heard a few hisses in the room. "You were his blood singer and he was immediately on the hunt for you. You told your vampire friend and no matter what you planned, James always caught you,"

"But there was one choice where the chances of survival were marginally higher, and that was if you were turned. So after your friend bit you, he took you away somewhere else and left to distract James,"

"He sacrificed himself and when James finally found you, you were already turning so your blood wasn't appealing to him anymore. He left you to live your vampire life and that's when you awoke,"

The silence was thick and heavy. Everyone was still absorbing my words, still as statues.

Eventually, someone broke the silence.

"Why do you know James's name and not the other vampire's name?" It came from Jasper and I smiled wryly.

"I was hoping you wouldn't catch onto that," I muttered.

"The reason I know James's name is because we'll see him again. In this novel we call life, he's a recurring character," I sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He growled. I rolled my eyes at his unnecessary display of aggression.

"There are only two people who have ever escaped James and one of them is Alice," I explained. I turned back around and looked at Edward. "The other is Bella Swan,"

He too growled and finally everyone else reacted. There were questions being thrown at me while Carlisle tried to regain control over his family members.

I leaned back into the sofa, pulling out the shiny silver packaging and popping an Advil, swallowing it dry.

I'd probably finish the whole packet by the time I got round to all their questions.

"What do you mean Bella? How do you even know all of this?"

"I don't believe any of this,"

"So you died and came back to life with some voodoo powers?"

"Enough everyone," Alice speaking silenced everyone immediately as they all turned to the distraught girl. She stood up and turned towards me.

"Anat, thank you so much. You have no idea what you've done for me and I just hope that one day I can properly express my gratitude," She pulled me into a hug, which I reciprocated before she let go.

"I need to be alone for a while," she addressed everyone else. "I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I will be back,"

"Alice wait-,"

"Where are you going?"

"You can't just leave!"

"Let me come with you,"

She ignored everyone and turned to Jasper, looking genuinely heartbroken in that moment.

"Jasper, remember what I told you," And with her vampire speed, she ran off, leaving everyone in disbelief.

It took them a second longer before all disappearing too and I was left I the room alone. I sighed, covering my face with my hands and rubbing my temples.

Did I do the right thing?

I felt as though I was doing the right thing by telling the truth, but I had just torn apart a family that had been together for decades.

"Don't," I dropped my hands and looked besides me to where the voice came from. I was surprised to see Jasper still in the room, now sitting on the seat besides me. He looked defeated as he stared at the floor, his shoulder hunched.

"Don't feel guilty. It's what she wanted," I suddenly realised that his mate had just left him and my heart broke for him. He looked so sad, nothing like the confident and dangerous man he otherwise presented himself as.

"She told me this was coming," He said.

"Will she be okay?" I asked, which I thought was stupid. Only Alice would know.

He chuckled darkly.

"She'll be fine. She'll find her mate soon enough," I was too shocked to focus on the bitterness in his tone.

"Mate?" I repeated stupidly. He turned to me, his expression dark.

"Yeah, mate," he watched my face, and I wasn't sure what he saw. I had thought this whole time he and Alice had been mates.

If I had been wrong about their relationship, what else would I be wrong about?

I would look so stupid if I was wrong about everything.

But somehow I knew I wasn't wrong.

"It's why she was so upset around you. She knew you would somehow lead her to her mate, she saw it in a vision. But you were avoiding us so it didn't look like it was going to happen."

I remembered her frustrated and desperate expression before I had agreed to come over. If I had known this all along, I would have come over sooner.

I knew how important mates were to vampires so I could understand how horrible it would be to catch a glimpse of a hopeful future before watching is slowly slip away.

"I didn't know," Was all I said. "I honestly thought you two were mates," He scoffed and shook his head to himself. I frowned but let it go.

"So you don't know everything then?" He asked sarcastically.

"I never said I knew everything. Just the important things," I argued. He shook his head to himself, lips pursued before he too disappeared and I was truly left alone in the living room.

I slowly lay down on the sofa, curling up into a little ball and deciding to take a quick nap. I was exhausted after that emotional roller coaster and my ribs had begun protesting.

I thankfully fell into a dreamless sleep this time.


	10. Chapter 10

Jasper POV

I had been expecting this to happen so I had already mourned the loss of my longest companion. But that didn't make her leaving any less painful. While everyone else was confused and outraged that Alice, one of the most beloved members of our coven, was leaving, I was already on the final stage of grief.

Acceptance.

"Jasper, she's going to be so much better for you," She had explained.

Back then, I didn't get it. Why would I want better when what I already had was perfect? I was not going to risk what I spent decades building for an unknown.

"When I promised you happiness, all those years ago, I wasn't talking about us Jasper."

That had surprised me. And hurt too.

She had lied to me.

"I just knew that joining the Cullens would be the only way for us to find our real happiness."

So everything had been a lie.

She shook her head.

"No Jasper, I did love you. All those moments with you were real," She looked hurt that I had questioned her like that and I felt bad, if only for a moment. I had to remember she was the one breaking us apart.

"Admit it Jasper, you haven't been happy these last few years."

She, of course, was right, I had been feeling restless. I was merely drifting meaninglessly through this existence. Before, Alice had been enough to ground me. I would feed off of her happiness and I could tame the beast within.

But now, nothing was enough.

"This life wasn't meant for you Jasper, and you know it," She had me there. The glamour of living the Cullens way of life was fading fast and it was too repetitive for me.

The Major was insulted by the pretentiousness of it all.

"She can give you the life you want. I'm sorry I couldn't Jasper, but she's so much better for you."

It was then I had asked the million dollar question.

"Yes Jasper, I had a vision of my mate."

And that was all it took. While I was willing to fight the bond and ignore it, for her sake and for the life we created together, it quickly became apparent to me that she wasn't willing to do the same.

I wasn't going to hold her back. If she wanted to leave then I would let her go.

"You may hate me right now Jasper, but one day, we'll be friends again."

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Alice leave. Everyone's emotions were mixing into a painful and confusing cocktail as they all headed back inside the house.

I could feel their pity directed towards me and I hated it.

"Jasper, I'm so sorry," Esme had pulled me into a hug and I let her hold me, not reciprocating. I didn't want their sympathy.

"I'm fine," I pulled away. I was too annoyed to focus on the hurt I felt coming from her. I needed a moment alone to myself so I went to my study, not wanting to go into the bedroom Alice and I used to share.

"That's two humans! Two humans who have just come and ruined everything we've built!" He could hear Rosalie screech at Carlisle in the living room.

"Calm down Rose," Carlisle was way too patient sometimes. He was more interested in playing the role of a father and not a coven leader.

I would never accept that kind of disrespect, the Major growled somewhere in the corner of my mind.

I found myself agreeing as I heard my 'twin' continue throwing a tantrum.

"Why is she still here?" I hated how my body tensed as Rosalie turned her wrath onto the still sleeping human. I had to fight the urge to run downstairs and warn my 'sister' to watch her mouth.

The human in question began stirring, having been woken by Rosalie shouting. Her heart rate accelerated as her breaths became more uneven.

"Sorry, I fell asleep," I heard her yawn. Her voice was husky and a little deeper with the traces of sleep in it and I hated how pleasant it sounded.

"Maybe I should just go home," I heard her shuffling and assumed she had stood up.

"If you wouldn't mind, I do have a few questions," Carlisle spoke up. She was silent for a moment longer before I heard her voice again.

"Yeah, sure," Her voice sounded a little hesitant and unsure as she sat back down. I could feel Carlisle's curiosity and Rosalie's contempt but I couldn't feel anything else.

It was odd how muted her emotions were.

I couldn't catch anything clear from her. Much like Edward couldn't catch her thoughts either. He compared her mind to a muted radio on the wrong frequency for him to hear anything coherent.

Rosalie stormed off into her room, childishly slamming the door and it echoed around the house. I rolled my eyes at her antics, grabbing a book I had been reading and opening it up to where I last read off.

There was really no need to because all I could focus on was the conversation going on downstairs.


End file.
